66 Cherty Lime-rock^ or Corniferoiis Lime-rock. 



geologically between the corniferous rock of Bethlehem Caverns, 

 and the coral rag rock of Coral Cave. Petrifactions are so nu- 

 merous in the upper lime-rock (coral rag) of the upper forma- 

 tion that Mr. Conrad (our exceedingly careful palseontologist) 

 may here settle the true equivalent value of them, compared 

 with European specimens. 



5th Point. — Catskill presents a field for much investigation. 

 Take the corniferous rock at Madison Village, or in the long 

 swamp, two miles westerly from the village, on the turnpike to- 

 wards the mountain. Both of these positions require a circuitous 

 route for tracing the rock to its dip under the Catskill mountain. 

 The best course is to go southerly and meet the mountain south 

 of Cauter's Kill Clove. Following the Clove turnpike road, we 

 enter two miles into the mountain before we make more than 

 a moderate ascent. The ledges on each side present a profile 

 of more than a thousand feet of perpendicular rock. Here are 

 alternating layers of red sandstone, and slaty graywacke. The 

 red sandstone layers may be traced northerly until they pass 

 gradually into gray slate. The series of layers become alter- 

 nately conglomerate and unchanging red sandstone, towards and 

 at the top of the mountain. Organized remains are found there 

 thinly scattered through all the layers. I have generally found 

 bivalves in the gray, and fucoides in the red ] perhaps thi^ is not 

 found to be uniformly true. 



6th Point. — The relative position of the corniferous lime-rock 

 along the Rondout, seems to me to offer some most important 

 subjects of reflection to the Pennsylvanian geologist. Here the 

 Shawangunk mountain is distinctly seen to dip beneath it, but 

 not to come in contact with it ; the upper transition lime-rock 

 comes in between them. The same gray slate layer of Lake 

 Erie, Seneca, and Cayuga, here rest upon it, as appears by ac- 

 tually pursuing that rock to this place. But the rock, like all 

 others approaching the Alleghany mountains, has here become 

 more coarse and more quartzose. I have long since remarked 

 in this Journal, that rocks of the Catskill and Alleghany ridge 

 wore a more primitive (or coarse and harsh) aspect than equiva- 

 lent European rocks. My friend. Dr. Morton, recognized this 

 fact, and Brongniart's decisions in regard to the vegetable fossils 

 of Pennsylvania, confirm the suggestion. But the all-conquer- 

 ing fact, that no rock is interposed between the corniferous lime- 



